Hey Hey! This is my first Prince of Tennis fic, so I hope you like it. There were some things that I thought maybe I shouldn't have added and some things I did. Eh, I'll tell what it is at the end.
By SilkStar
Title - Thank You
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Ryoma was grateful for the rain when it came pouring down after his match with Tezuka. It mingled with his tears and hid them when they came sliding down his face.
"Let's go inside before we get sick Echizen." Tezuka voiced.
"Buchou?" Tezuka looked at him. "Is it wrong buchou?"
"Is what wrong?"
"That I'm leaving? Is it wrong that I'm abandoning the team? And right before nationals?" Ryoma grew angry. "Just because I want to get better? To become the best I can so I can beat my dad?"
Tezuka remained silent. After a while, he spoke. "I don't know Echizen. It could go both ways. Some say it is wrong because it looks like you're abandong the team right before nationals. Others would say it isn't because you're leaving to pursue your dreams and there's nothing wrong with that."
"What about you?"
"I will say what I told you before. Don't ponder on what anyone else thinks. Do what you want."
"That's not what I asked." Ryoma replied angrily. He was avoiding the question. "I asked you what you thought."
"It does not matter what I think. And even if it did, I still would not tell you. Not if it's going to affect your decision."
"You want both. I can tell. You want me to go so I can become better. So I can improve. So I can become the best. But you also want me to stay because I'm the pillar of Seigaku. Everyone's support." he said flatly, glaring at the older boy. "That's the only reason you want me to stay, just like everyone else. Because I give you a better shot at winning."
"That's not true and you know it Echizen." Tezuka snapped. Ryoma recoiled at the tone of his voice. "Do you really want to know what I think? I am thinking why it is you cannot stay. Can you not improve here? Can you not improve so much that you can defeat your father and become the best?"
"No. I can't. If I could then there would be no way I would leave. But that's just it. I can't get any better here. That's why I have to go."
"Then go." and he did.
(-)
Years later, a figure stepped off a bus in front of the Kuwamura Sushi Shop. Ryuzaki-sensei had called him and told him that there would be a team reunion and that he was invited.
"Ryoma!" everyone greeted loudly when he stepped inside.
"It's been a long time Echizen." Momo slung an arm around him. Ryoma made a sour face. Momo smiled. The same smile he had always smiled.
"It has hasn't it?" Ryoma asked softly. His mind was elsewhere, trying to search for a person.
"Well, I'm gonna go catch up with Eiji." Ryoma nodded absently. He leaned against the counter, eyes still searching.
"Echizen." Ryoma jumped slightly. "Looking for someone?" the former Seigaku captain asked.
"You." he replied simply. Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to say 'thank you.'"
Tezuka nodded briefly. There was no need for the younger boy to go on. He already knew.
"Ryoma! Get over here!" Momo yelled loudly, he and Eiji waving madly from across the room. Ryoma could see all the former Regulars there. Eiji, Oishi, Inui, Momo, Taka, Kaido, and Syuusuke, all smiling and waiting for him and Tezuka to join them.
"C'mon Ochibi! We won't get any younger!" heh. Eiji still hadn't changed. Ryoma scowled at the old nickname. Even after all these years he was still the shortest! Even shorter than the already vertically challenged tensai.
"Let's go." Tezuka said curtly. He walked over, Ryoma right behind him. Momo quickly got him into a headlock as Eiji pounced on him. Oishi raised both hands, about to attempt to calm Eiji down. Taka smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head, standing right behind them. Kaido stood on his right, hissing. On Taka's other side stood Inui, scribbling away in a new notebook that he had gotten especially for this occasion. Tezuka stood the furthest in the back, arms crossed, expression as hard as ever. Syuusuke stood right next to him as he always did, hiding behind that mask of a smile, though it did seem warmer that day. Ryoma closed one eye and frowned as Momo gave hin a noogie and Eiji ruffled his hair. Inwardly he smiled. Nothing had changed.
Someone quickly took a picture, savoring the moment.
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The End! Okay, the title might not make sense but to explain, when I had first written this story, it ended with 'There was no need for the younger boy to go on. He already knew.' But, then I had decided to add on and my second draft ended with the above. My third draft continued but I didn't know whether to include it or not. So, I decided to add it right here. It's only a few sentences anyways.
10 years later, all nine boys received a large package in the mail. The first thing they saw was a photo album, starting with their junior high days at Seishun Gakuen. All the days of early morning and afternoon practices hit them. They remembered their first tournament together, up until the last tournament they played as one team. Wins and losses. The district prelimenaries, the city tournament, the Kantou torunament, and finally the nationals. On the last few pages were pictures of the most recent reuinions, the most recent was a year ago and the one before that was four years before. On the very last page was of their first reuinion.
There was no return address. They never did find out who took and sent the pictures, although Ryoma suspected it had something to do with the pig tailed haired girl. After all, she had been with them all throughtout their junior high days and all the reuinions.
They smiled and decided it was time to call up their friends for another reunion.
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Okay! Now it's the end! Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the story. Okay, maybe it was a bit sappy, but... Yeah. I have no idea when I actually wrote it but I typed it Wednesday December 14, 2005. Finished 10:28 PM. And yes! The last part was only a few sentences!